Take SS earlier if you need the money,If you need the money, the whole question of waiting until 70 is already settled -- you can't wait, since not eating for 8 years is not an option.

The question is only an issue for a very small group of people.* People with little money cannot delay -- so no decision needs to be made.

* People with lots of money don't need SS at all (as the saying goes: "SS for lap dances") -- so the decision is of no more importance than the decision of what size latte to buy at Starbucks.

Those two groups probably total 99% of the people eligible for SS. The remaining group is people who have enough money that they can easily get by with 8 years of not receiving SS, but not so much money that SS is immaterial.

So IMHO, the whole debate is silly. The proper goal is to retire with $1M-$2M so that you don't have to depend on SS.

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